Sing All Our Cares Away
by ReluctantSidekick
Summary: A one-shot that wouldn't go away. Let me know if you want to see more in this theme
1. Chapter 1

**Sing All Our Cares Away**

**Another idea in the proud line of 'things that won't let me work on my school projects'. Not going to lie, this one is super short. The title is a song by Damien Dempsey. Let me know if you'd like this to be a series of interconnected one-shots. Enjoy**

"Here we are Teddy," Harry said as he stopped at the stone bench. The bench had been placed there shortly after the funerals. It was one of many, meant for people who wished to pay their respects to the true heroes of the Battle of Hogwarts.

Harry never felt like a hero, only a survivor.

Teddy babbled in his arms as Harry sat down in front of the single gravestone. "Nymphadora and Remus Lupin," Harry said quietly, "Two of the bravest people I ever met." He smiled sadly, "Your mother would have hated me for calling her by her first name."

Harry felt a warm breeze blow past them. A leaf from one of the trees in the graveyard, fallen earlier, flew past them and struck his cheek lightly. "Alright Tonks, message received." Harry laughed softly.

"They fought to make the world a place where you could grow up." He said, looking down at Teddy who was staring at the grave marker, "Your mother wouldn't hear of staying home, couldn't let Remus go it alone."

"_We sing, sing all our cares away..."_

Harry heard the song playing on the other side of the cemetery. The caretaker had a small radio on the back of his cart. He couldn't see them through the repelling ward, but Harry and Teddy could hear the music.

"_And we'll live, to love another day..."_

"They fought for you, Teddy." Harry stroked the boy's cheek, "They died for a world where kids didn't have to fear being murdered for being muggleborn." He sighed quietly, "This was the moment," He looked at the watch he had been given on his birthday, "I met your father when I died. Remus had been terrified of being a father, then after he got some sense knocked into him, he was the proudest I'd ever seen him."

"_We grow strong!"_

The song played out and Harry closed his eyes, holding the child against him. "I miss them so much, they had everything to live for and I'm the one who's here." He felt tears stinging his eyes, "Andromeda deserves her daughter, not some teenager who was just too stubborn to stay dead."

"I happen to love that teenager," Came a voice behind him. Harry turned and saw Andromeda standing there with a small parcel of flowers. "It wasn't just Teddy they fought for you know, it was both of you." She sat down beside him, placing the flowers on the grave, "Nymphadora considered you her little brother, she loved you. Remus, for his faults, did the same."

"How did you know I would be here?" He asked quietly, his voice muffled by her shoulder.

She laughed very softly, "Where else would you be on this day? You let me have my privacy with Ted at his family plot. I knew you would be here with Nymphadora and Remus." She looked at Teddy who had fallen asleep in Harry's arms, "Thank you."

"For what?"

"For helping make sure he doesn't forget them."


	2. Chapter 2

**Sing All Our Cares Away**

**Here is another short scene that popped into my head. This chapter is a quasi-continuation of the first one. It's a prequel kind of thing. There isn't a pairing in this story because it's not about Harry's love life, or anyone's really, it's a story of the little moments in the stories. Enjoy**

Andromeda Tonks had done everything right.

She had left her family in order to be with the man she loved. She'd been a loving wife, a devoted mother, and even with her family bribing people, she'd managed to become a rising star at St. Mungo's, now in charge of her own ward.

She'd done everything right, damn it.

It was a month after the Battle. Teddy was crying for food, Andromeda was crying for his mother.

It wasn't supposed to be like this.

She'd been so proud the day her daughter was accepted into the Auror training program. She and Ted had taken the money they had been saving as a graduation gift and spent it on a dragonskin wand holster and a set of dueling manuals. Nymphadora had hugged them both tightly. She'd wanted nothing more than to make their world a better place, a safer one.

Andromeda hadn't approved of her choice in men. Charlie Weasley had been fine if a bit obsessed with dragons, but Remus had annoyed her greatly. He was too old, too caught up in feeling sorry for himself, and Andromeda had been worried that he wouldn't be a good husband.

She'd been proven right when Remus had abandoned his wife and unborn child.

She really wished Ted was still here. Ted would at least be able to share her pain if not remove it. He would love being able to meet his grandson and namesake.

She picked up the screaming baby and began to cuddle him. "Come on love, let's get you a bottle," Andromeda said quietly as she walked out of the room and down the stairs.

Harry was at the kitchen table preparing breakfast for both of them. He turned and greeted her, "Good morning, his bottle is on the counter." Harry had been staying with Andromeda and Teddy since leaving Hogwarts after the Battle. He was Teddy's godfather and he had promised to be a part of the little boy's life.

Harry was a blessing to the woman, without him she doubted that she'd have made it this far.

She gave Teddy the bottle and looked over the child to Harry, "Will you be going to the Ministry today?" She asked him.

He nodded, "For a few hours to let him parade me in front of the ICW. Then I'll be back." Harry hated this part. Kingsley had offered him a job with the Ministry ostensibly to work for the DMLE. However, his job had ended up being nothing more than acting like a famous face. He felt trapped and she knew that.

She felt the same way.

When Harry came home that night Teddy was sleeping peacefully, but Andromeda was in Ted's office crying. She had opened his desk for the first time since he'd left. On the desk was a stack of papers she'd pulled from the drawer.

"Andi, are you alright?" Harry asked, walking over to her side.

She motioned helplessly at the papers, "Ted hid a letter to me." She sobbed softly as Harry looked at it. _This is the hardest thing I've ever written Drom. I'm not coming home. I'm muggleborn, which means I'm a danger to my family. Maybe if it was just us, we could face it together. But Dora has her baby to worry about. The best thing I can do right now is to leave, that way if they find me they won't also find you. I want you to know I don't regret a moment of our lives together. You gave me everything, hopefully by distracting them, I can keep them from coming after you. Love forever, Ted._

All Harry could do was hold the woman. Andromeda cried against him, "That stupid, stupid man." She said in a ragged whisper.

Harry did his best to comfort her. The truth was, he would have done the same thing in Ted's shoes.


	3. Chapter 3

**Sing All Our Cares Away**

**Here is another short scene that popped into my head. This one is one that I've thought about a lot ever since reading the last book.**

The Lovely Boy was back. She wanted to smile at him but she forgot how. She missed smiling, She thinks that She did it a lot once.

Frank-Dear was staring out as the Lovely Boy made noises beside a silent witch.

Was witch the word?

She shook her head. She didn't know what words were anymore.

The Other put her hand on her stomach as the Lovely Boy made noises to Frank-Dear.

BABY

She knew that one!

_The baby cried as she put him in the closet. She kissed his hair and closed the door. _

_Then the screaming happened._

She closed her eyes to make the screaming stop. It never stopped for long but when the Lovely Boy was here, tall and proud, and looking like Frank-Dear, the screams were whispers and whispers she could drown out by humming.

She began to hum loudly. Drowning out the screams and the cackles and Frank-Dear begging someone to kill him and leave her and-

NEVILLE!

The whispers went away for a moment when the Lovely Boy made noises at him.

MUM!

She knew those too!

She had to give him his present. After all, she needed to give him his present because it was his present and she needed to give it to him.

She thrust her hand out and watched as the Lovely Boy smiled and took it.

Another word and-

MUM again!

That made her smile, made the screams go away.

Neville watched as his mother walked back to her bed humming happily. He squeezed Hannah's hand as they left the ward and made their way to the public floo. "Thanks for coming with me." He said quietly to his wife.

"You wanted to tell them. Maybe they will get a chance to meet Frank one day." Hannah said as they stood in the line. "Would they like me?" She asked him before they used the floo to go home.

His answer came when they arrived at their flat. "They would love you because you love me. If we ever find a miracle and they are cured, then they will tell you that themselves."


End file.
